Hmmm... The "specials" idea is an interesting take on things. On the downside it means that some issues are likely to miss my personal areas of interest altogether. On the upside, it should mean I'll learn a lot in areas where I currently know sweet Foxtrot Alpha!

As for quality, go for it! There's no point in having the thing if it doesn't look great.

I don't like the entire issue devoted to a special topic idea if you expect to sell on newstands as well as subscription. There are many magazines that I find occasionally very interesting because of the special focus of that issue but I avoid subscribing. Why subscribe when half the issues are of no interest to me at all and some other magazine may have something of interest this month.

Since subscriptions seem to be the life blood of publishing it would seem to be the wrong way to go if others do as I do.

I don't like the entire issue devoted to a special topic idea if you expect to sell on newstands as well as subscription. There are many magazines that I find occasionally very interesting because of the special focus of that issue but I avoid subscribing. Why subscribe when half the issues are of no interest to me at all and some other magazine may have something of interest this month.

Since subscriptions seem to be the life blood of publishing it would seem to be the wrong way to go if others do as I do.

Bob

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I agree with BobF. A whole issue devoted to Burning and Dodging doesn't leave much room in the futute for further influences on that subject. Perhaps a format quite similar to our present Forums format (and perhaps not offering quite so many topics), offering quarterly 'state-of-the-art' essays on the most 'talked' about issues of APUG - non digital issues - and then a very ambitious annual issue summerizing the years imput as "where we are today and where we seem to be going" in analog photography.

I don't see why not to have a mix of special and general issues. Certainly the editors will think of some topics and will receive some submissions that would be worth publishing but might not fit any special issue. Special issues offer a chance to focus and can become stand-alone volumes when done right, but they can also become an artificial restriction, and the concept can fail when articles that don't really fit the special topic are sandwiched in, because you've cut off the possibility of open topic issues.

flickr (really out of date)Photography (even more out of date than flickr)
Stock photos on Alamy (which I should post more often)Academic (Slavic and Comparative Literature)Music (which I'm doing more than photography lately)

The special edition concept seems sound to me. I seldom buy periodicals any more and when I do it's usually a special edition.

OTOH, perhaps I'm biased by my personal habits. So my preference may not be representative of any group.

BTW, I don't think a publication needs to be as narrowly confined as to "dodging and burning." An entire issue could be devoted to the art of making a print "sing" (as the term goes), from: simple dodging and burning with the hands or found objects; to cutting masks; to bleaching.

I think it would be a mistake to dilute the effort of such a concept by including, say, discussions of the Zone System or my pet, stand processing, into an issue on making the print.

It's even debatable whether an issue on making the print should include toning. I can see an entire issue devoted to toning, considering the availability of toners and examples of their use.

If I understand right, would be a mix of technical articles & portfolios. Even if someone doesn't care for techniques of an issue, could still appreciate the images. Would more likely be collected if each issue was on specific topic. I like the concept. A high grade printing also would make it worth collecting.
Also like the winning title especially if the words rather than just the initials are prominently displayed.

van Huyck Photo
"Progress is only a direction, and it's often the wrong direction"

In seriousness this time, I'll say that I took a look at the magazines I've saved for a long time. They generally have a theme with several articles covering something I was interested in at the time.
With that said, I believe the concept of a theme for the issues of "Wet and Wild Traditional Photography" is a good one.
juan